Dr. Ivan Madzharov: We are yet to feel the effect of the temporary opening of restaurants

"We are yet to feel the effect of the temporary opening of restaurants", said for bTV Dr. Ivan Madzharov, Chairman of the Bulgarian Medical Association. In his view, the authorities should extend the current anti-epidemic measures. "Thus, the Covid-19 cases will continue to plateau", said Ivan Madzharov. In his words, the good news is that there has been no significant increase in the number of new cases of Covid-19. "The virus is adapting to us. That is why more and more young people are affected by the virus", stressed Dr. Madzharov. No vaccine provides 100% protection. "However, vaccinated people are not at risk of severe Covid-19," added Ivan Madzharov.

Bogdan Petrunov: Bulgaria may achieve herd immunity by end of 2021

"All data showed that the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine is completely safe and its efficacy is comparable to the RNA vaccines," said for BNT Academician Bogdan Petrunov. Academician Petrunov voiced confidence that Bulgaria will achieve herd immunity by the end of 2021. "The vaccination will yield positive results, if 1.5-2 million vaccines are administered in this country," commented Bogdan Petrunov. In his view, the development of monoclonal antibodies will lead to significant progress in the treatment of Covid-19.

Premier Borissov predicts that Covid-19 pandemic will end soon

The coronavirus pandemic will end within one or two months, forecasted Bulgaria’s Premier Boyko Borissov. Bulgaria is to receive 200,000 vaccine doses by the end of March. 1 million vaccines are to be delivered to this country in April. We are to give 5,000 doses to the Republic of North Macedonia to demonstrate our friendly attitude towards this country, added Premier Borissov.

Bulgaria reports increase in number of Covid-19 hospitalizations

4,129 new cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed in Bulgaria in the past 24 hours out of 18,656 tests performed, indicate data of the Single Coronavirus Information Portal. 22% of the tests have returned positive result. The highest number of new infections was reported in Sofia-1,110, followed by Plovdiv-342, Varna-325 and Burgas-269. There are 9,430 patients in hospital, as 751 of them are in intensive care units. 2,279 people have recovered and 89 patients have died in the past 24 hours. There are 65,181 active cases of Covid-19. 14,627 vaccines have been administered in Bulgaria in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of inoculations against Covid-19 to 430,228.

Tourism industry to rely on domestic tourists during the forthcoming summer season

The forthcoming summer tourist season will be unpredictable, said for the Bulgarian National Radio George Rachev, Vice Chairman of the Bulgarian Association of Travel Agents. In his view, Bulgaria's hotel business will again rely on domestic tourists. There has been an outflow of Greek and Romanian visitors. The uncertainty surrounding the possible vaccine passport is another serious problem. Despite the problems, people will find a way to travel during the summer, contends George Rachev."The European citizens saved a lot of money because they haven’t travelled recently and they have a strong desire to go on holiday," said George Rachev.

Tsvetan Kyulanov: Vaccination is the key to economic recovery

The Covid-19 vaccines will help us move quickly towards economic recovery, said for BNR Tsvetan Kyulanov, the head of the European Commission Representation in Bulgaria. In the coming weeks and months large quantities of vaccines will be delivered to Bulgaria which will help this country begin mass vaccination, said Tsvetan Kyulanov. "The European Commission and its Representation in Bulgaria are trying to explain to people that vaccines are safe and that they are the key to economic recovery," added Tsvetan Kyulanov. It is important that the money reach the economies of the countries in the second half of 2021, Tsvetan Kyulanov said with regard to the EU Recovery Plan.

Compiled by: Diana Tsankova

English version: Kostadin Atanasov

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